Folding box.



- A. CLAWSON.

FOLDING BOX, APPLICATION FILED mac. I2. 1911.

1,%W,M? e Patented. Sept. 3,1918.

gwuenkma HRCHIE CLRWSON ARCHIE CLAWSON, OF BOCKVALE, .MONTANA.

FOLDING BOX.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented s n pt 3 1918 Application filedDecember 12,1917. Serial No.206,810.

To calico/mm it. may concern:

Be it known that I, AncI-nn CLAwsoN, a-citizen of the United States, residing at Rockvale, inth-e county of Carbon and State of Montana, have invented certaininew and useful Improvements in Folding Boxes, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relatesto certain new. and

useful improvements in folding boxes or retion to provide arcorncr plateefor the sides otthebox which isfixcd to the endsthereof at their upper edges, each of the corner plates having an: armstruck therefrom fitted in a rccess'in the upper edge of the side wall of the box, and a swinging hook mounted in said armtooperatively engage in a notch or recess in the upper edge of-the end wall of 'the box. v

It is afurther general object of my invention to improve the construction disclosed in my; priorapplication in the particulars :above noted whereby the: manufacturing cost of: the article may bereducechand its durability, serviceability and convenience in practical use greatly enhanced.

WVith the above and other objects in view, the invention consists in the improved con struction, combination and arrangementof the severalparts, .as .willbe hereinafter. more fully described, subsequently claimed and illustrated in the accompanying drawings. in which similar reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several views and wherein,

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a box or receptacle having my invention applied thereto; i

Fig; 2 is :an enlarged sectional view taken onthe line 22 ofFig. 1;

Fig.1?) is a top plan-view the top of the box being removcd and Big. 4: is a perspective view of one of the corner plates.

Referring in detail to zthe drawing S designates the side wall of the box, crate or other structure, Etheiend w-allthereof and Tithe removable top. The. side and end walls iof theibox structuremay be mounted upon the bottom of thebox as disclosed in my :prioraapplication abovereferred to, or in any other. suitable manner.

.Toeach side. of the :box or receptacle at the ends thereof and at its upper edge, the corner yplates generally designated by the numeral5 are riveted or otherwise securely fixed. .These corner platesiare formed of sheetmetal, and each plate is bent to provide the=portions 6 and 7 extending at right angles with-respect to each other. The portion 6 01 the cornenplate is fixed to the outer sidefaceof the side wallS of thelboxwhile the other portion 7lof'the corner plate extends iaroundthe end edge of said side wall and inwardly therefrom. Thea pper portions ofthe parts 6 and T7 of the corner plate project above the plane of theupper edge oflthe sidewallS and the portion 6 is provided with a horizontally extending elongated opening 8 for a purpose which will be present y-stated. An arm 9 is struck out fromzthe portion Got the corner plate be low theopening 8 therein and extends vinwardly, at right angles to the plate. The extremity of this arm is turned or bent upon itself toprovide a sleeve 10 in which the angularend 120i a rod 11 =isloosely engaged. This rod at its other end is provided with a relatively long angularly disposed end portion 13 the extremity. of which is disposed in contiguous relation to the inner face of the portion 7 of the corner plate. This endl3 of the rod-12 1's adapted to engagein ia notch or'recess ciinthe end wall E ofthe boxer crate structure.

In the arrangement of the parts of the box in their erect positions,:the end walls are first movedto a vertical position upon the bottom of the box, and the side walls are then movedupwardly-andinwardly, it being understood that the rods 11 are first disposed in the position shown in dotted linesin Fig. :2 of the drawing. WVhen the sidewalls :arebrought to thGlPGlG-CUPOSI- tions, the portions 7 of the corner plates engage upon the outer face of the end walls. The rods 12 are then swung inwardly and downwardly to engage in the notches c in the upper edges of the end walls. Thus the side walls will be securely held in their erect positions. The arms 9 are seated in mortises or recesses indicated at s in the upper edges of the side walls of the box so that the arms will be flush therewith. When the top T of the box is arranged in place between the upwardly projecting portions of the corner plates and upon the side and end walls it will be manifest that the free ends of the rods 11 are securely retained in the notches in the end walls.

The means for securing the top of the box in position, is quite similar to that shown and described in my pending application for patent filed May 21, 1917, Serial No. 169,97 9. This securing means for the box top consists in a bar 14: which is slidably mounted upon the top of the box and is held in place by the spaced guide straps indicated at 15. One end ofthis bar is formed with a downwardly projecting hook 16, while the other or inner end of the bar is provided with an upwardly projecting flange 17. To the under side of the bar 1 1- one end of a leaf spring 18 is fixed and to the other end of this spring a pin 19 is suitably secured, said spring projecting upwardly through an opening 20 in the bar 14. The boxtop immediately beneath the bar 1 1 is suitably recessed to accommodate the leaf s oring 18.

In the operation of the device for securing the box top in position, when the top T is arranged upon the upper edges of the side and end walls of the structure, the pin 20 is first depressed and the bar 15 is forced outwardly to project the hook 16 thereon to a point in spaced relation to the edge of the top, the pin 20 moving beneath one of the straps 15. This movement of the bar is limited by the engagement of the end flange 17 thereon with the other strap 15. After the box top is arranged in place the bar 14: is moved inwardly on the box top to engage the hook 16 in the opening 8 of the corner plate. When in this position, the leaf spring 18 will project the pin 19 upwardly through the opening 20 at a point contiguous to the strap 15. Thus the pin will act as a stop against said strap to prevent the casual outward shifting movementof the bar 15.

From the foregoing description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, the construction, manner of operation and several advantages of my invention will be fully and clearly understood. The device as a whole is quite simple in its construction, and may be easily and quickly operated to secure the several parts of the box structure in their erect positions. By providing the swinging hooks 11 upon the corner p. ates,

much time and labor may be saved in the assemblage and arrangement of the several parts in the manufacture of the box, while at the same time possibility of loosening or displacement of the swinging hooks or rods is obviated. The present improvements also provide a very desirable and serviceable device, without materially increasing the manufacturing cost of my original box structure.

While I have herein shown and described the present construction and arrangement of the several parts, it is to be understood that the device is susceptible of considerable modifications and I therefore reserve the privilege of adopting all such legitimate changes as may be fairly embodied within the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed.

What I claim is:

1. The combination with a box structure having foldable side and end walls, of a plate fixed to one of said walls and having an angular arm countersunk in the edge of said wall, said arm being of a length sub stantially equivalent to the thickness of the box wall, and a latch element loosely engaged at one of its ends in the extremity of said arm and adapted for engagement at its other end with a contiguous wall of the box structure to retain the box walls in their erect positions.

2. The combination with a box structure having foldable side and end walls, of corner plates secured to the upper edges of theside walls at their opposite ends, each corner plate having an arm projecting inwardly over the edge of the side wall, and a latch element swingingly mounted in said arm to coact with the adjacent end wall of the box whereby said walls are retained in their erect positions.

3. The combination with a box structure having foldable side and end walls, of corner plates secured to the upper edges of the side walls at their opposite ends, each corner plate having an arm thereon projecting inwardly over the edge of the side wall of the box, and an angular rod having one end loosely mounted in said arm and adapted for engagement at its other end with the end wall of the box structure to retain said side and end walls in their erect positions.

4. The combination with a box structure having foldable side and end walls, of corner plates secured to the upper edges of the side walls at their opposite ends, each corner plate having an arm thereon projecting inwardly over the edge of the sidewall of the box, and an angular rod having one end loosely mounted in said arm, the end wall of the box being provided in its upper edge with a notch adapted to receive the other end of said rod whereby the side and end walls are held in their erect positions,

5. The combination with a box structure ed for engagement With the end Wall of the 10 having foldable side and end Walls, of corner box to retain the end and side Walls in their plates secured to the upper edges of the erect positions. side Walls at their opposite ends, each corner In testimony whereof I hereunto afiix my 5 plate having an arm struck therefrom and signature in the presence of two Witnesses.

extending at right angles to the plate, the ARCHIE CLAWSON. edge of the side Wall being mortised to re- W'itnesses:

ceive said arm, and a latch rod swingingly ROCKWOOD BROWN,

mounted in the end of said arm and adapt- 0. KING GRIMsTA'r.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. 0. 

